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Investment in renewable energy falls for the second year running

Investment in renewable energy in the UK fell by 56% in 2017. Renewable energy investment had seen year on year increases between 2010 and 2015, however, changes in Government policy has caused this to reverse with decreases in 2016 and 2017.

The 52% fall, was the largest fall from any other country globally and investment worldwide actually saw a 3% increase. This has led critics to ask for action from the Government. The Government's stop-start approach to investing in policy which encourages businesses to invest in renewables, is believed to put businesses off from investing in the UK’s renewable energy sector.

With the UK being a leading voice in the Paris Climate Agreement, it is a slight embarrassment for the Conservative Government to see the largest decrease globally. It is thought that the release of these figures will put pressure on the Government to review its energy policies.

China saw the largest increase in investment, jumping almost 25% to £132bn and despite the Trump administration's policies to support the coal and gas industries, the US saw a 1% increase in renewable energy investment, keeping it in second place worldwide.

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